This invention relates to a book. More specifically, and without limitation, this invention relates to a self-supporting book.
Traditional books are well known in the art and generally comprise a plurality of pages positioned between a front cover and a back cover which are connected by way of a binding therebetween. These books are convenient for reading and studying when held in a reader's hands or placed in their lap, but are difficult to hold open when placed on a flat surface due to the bindings. More specifically, these books often have stiff bindings which involuntarily change pages or close the book altogether if a user's hand or other object is not present on the book to hold the book open.
To address these issues various designs were introduced to prop the book up. In particular, one design had a folding member which folded under the book perpendicular to the binding. Although this arrangement propped the book up, the folding member weakened the cover and the binding. Additionally, this arrangement lacked the necessary structural rigidity to support the book in a sturdy manner.
Additional designs have mating tabs with opposing hook & loop portions allowing the user to prop the book up at various angles. This design also has deficiencies as the connection does not provide sufficient structural rigidity. Also, the hook and eye arrangement has a tendency to interfere with the user's clothing.
Therefore, a need exists in the art for a book that addresses these deficiencies.
Thus an object of the present invention is to provide a book that is capable of being propped up in a secure manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cover arrangement which allows a user to easily display the pages of the book.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a hands-free book that, when opened, is capable of being propped up in a secure manner with lay-flat pages.
These and other objects, features, or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and claims.